Women's Swimming & Diving

Doria Holbrook Named NEWMAC Diver of the Year for Second Time in Three Seasons

Feb 28, 2007

Feb. 28, 2007

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. - MIT junior Doria Holbrook was named the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) Diver of the Year on Tuesday, following her record-shattering performances in both the one-meter and three-meter diving competitions at the conference championships, hosted by Wellesley College two weeks ago. This is the second time in her career that Holbrook has earned Diver of the Year honors, as she also took the award back in her freshman season of 2004-05, the same year that she was crowned the three-meter diving national champion.

The native of Yakima, Wash., helped propel the Engineers to their eighth straight runner-up finish at the NEWMAC Championships by smashing Institute and conference records in both diving events.

First, in the one-meter portion, she amassed an astonishing 513.65 in prelims before easily earning the victory with a 502.90 in the finals. The previous MIT record for one-meter diving had belonged to Lori Blackwelder Peterson, who recorded a 428.50 in 1984-85, meaning that Holbrook amazingly surpassed the mark by almost a full 100 points. She also dwarfed the previous NEWMAC score in the event by over 40 points.

Then, in the three-meter event on the final day of competition, she topped herself by recording an amazing 553.30 in prelims before notching a 514.85 in the finals to cruise to victory. She once again surpassed the previous MIT record by almost 100 points, as Blackwelder Peterson's 464.30 in 1985 was the previous standard. The highest previous conference mark had been 533.60.

Holbrook will represent the Cardinal and Gray at the 2007 NCAA Swimming and Diving National Championships, which will take place in Houston, Texas, from Thursday, Mar. 8, to Saturday, Mar. 10.